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The nights had gotten a little less lonely since Bumblebee started coming around. To be honest, that was a massive understatement. The amount of stress that would float away like an escaped spark whenever Bee was around was astonishing, and the rays of positivity the minibot brought wherever he went was unmissable. At least, Starscream always noticed.
Another dark, calm night spread across the newly constructed Cybertron. Although the lack of noise seemed unheard of since the long-lasting war, the seeker was more than happy for the change of atmosphere. Four million years of death and destruction was more than the ambitious warrior ever wanted, alongside the mental and physical drawbacks that came with it.
Lid down in the comfort of his berth after a long day of political work - admittedly mostly dealing with criticisms - Starscream gazed out at the sky as he felt the warmth of the smaller bot beside him. Starscream had never been fond of physical contact, so this was their normal routine for the nights since they’ve been together. Simply knowing that he had Bee’s love and support was enough to satisfy him, and Bee had always been respectful of his partner’s wishes. However lately, Starscream felt like there was something missing that he was longing for. He was perfectly happy staying like this, wasn’t he? Hell, the day he’d open up to the point of allowing physical contact was the day his processor would be deemed dysfunctional. Starscream ignored his lingering thoughts and turned around to face Bee, laying on the soft berth with the moonbeams reflecting off his metal plates on all the right angles. “Primus, he really is gorgeous.”
Bee shifted his position to get more comfortable, being careful to not invade Starscream’s personal space. As much as Starscream wanted to believe he was acting stoic, Bee could clearly tell his processor was preoccupied.
“Star, is something wrong?”
Starscream snapped back into reality at the sound of his voice. “Hm? No! Why would you think that?” His optics flickered. He was an unbelievably skilled liar but that ability always vanished when he was with Bee, not that he liked lying to him in the first place.
Bee frowned with concern. “I dunno, I guess, you just seem kinda off. I can’t really describe it.” His dimmed optics couldn’t hide the hurt he felt that his trusted lover wouldn’t be real with him, and that small realization sent a twinge of guilt down Starscream’s body. It’s true that he wasn’t completely there, but what could he say? It’s hard to explain your problems when you can’t even begin to describe it yourself. The far too common experience of feeling a slight stress overtake the body had kicked in and Starscream could feel it. “Not now, not with Bee here, please no! He already has to deal with me enough…”
“Stop overthinking! It’s nothing- nothing you’ll understand.” He huffed as he flipped his helm away from Bee. The small twinge of guilt grew as he continued to dismiss his partner’s concerns, leading Starscream to feel even more terrible.
“But do you understand, Star?”
Starscream had to take a moment to process what he had just heard. The single comment had hit him harder than any attack could’ve, and he’s experienced some pretty damn bad attacks in his lifetime. With his mind racing but his body silent, he looked back to see Bee looking him in the optics empathetically. This was too much for the jet, as the internal turmoil had become too much to bear. His fans whirred unsteadily as he mustered up the nerves to speak, still unsure of whatever he was feeling - whatever he was craving.
“I’m sorry, but could you maybe.. Move closer?”
Bee was caught off guard by the shaky voiced request, backing up as he gave Starscream a confused look. “Did I hear that correctly?”
“Are your audio receptors functioning? I… please?...” Bee hesitated before slowly moving towards Starscream until the tips of their chestplates touched ever so slightly. Starscream shut his optics to process this moment, feeling a bizarre mixture of anxiety and comfort flow through his body. He waited a moment before untensing his body to let himself relax. Bee remained surprised as he lid against him. “I thought you didn’t like touching?” Starscream took a deep breath, his vents shaking from the tension. “Yes, but perhaps for you I can make an exception.” With a great effort to hide his fear, the larger bot positioned himself so Bee’s helm could rest against him. Bee slid into place, but was still hesitant.
“Star, you’re shaking. You don’t have to do this.” Starscream, unaware of his own shakiness, forced a quick “Heh!” and stammered back. “No, I need this.”
Those few words were enough to reassure Bee, as he gently rested his helm on Starscream’s chestplate. Although his shaking didn’t stop, Starscream couldn’t control the small purrs of appreciation escaping him, his fans buzzing with delight in sync with his fluttering spark.
The two seemed to stay frozen in time for a bit as both slowly became more relaxed. Bee was drifting off to sleep, but Starscream was still wide awake. The fears that came with any physical contact had yet to escape his processor, and no matter how much he wanted to settle down and spend the night like this, he couldn’t convince his body to stop jittering. He let out a sigh, muttering to himself mindlessly. To his surprise, Bee wasn’t completely asleep yet, and had heard the soft murmuring.
“What was that?”
Starscream became flustered, half hoping Bee had never heard him. He barely knew what he was saying himself, but some small part of him began to know what he wanted. He lowered his helm in embarrassment as his fans spun louder than before. He didn’t know what to say, but the words slipped out on their own.
“Could you.. maybe touch my wings?” Bee’s optics widened. “Are.. you sure?” Starscream burrowed his helm further as he spread the wing he wasn’t lying against, signaling his response as a clear “Yes, please.”
Bee hesitantly reached out to it, causing Starscream to shudder at the gentle touch. Bee swiftly let go in fear of making his partner uncomfortable. “I’m sorry! Do you want me to stop?” Starscream regained his composure, lifting his helm and giving Bee a trusting look that spoke more than words. He didn’t want him to stop. At least not yet.
Bee extended his arm again, this time more slowly and delicately than before. He placed his servos against the edge of his wing one digit at a time and let it rest there idly. Bee took in a bunch of things he noticed about them. It was cool to the touch, with a smooth texture he had never felt before. They were somewhat soft, despite being made of solid metal, and they were relaxing to feel. He slowly slid his digits down the edge of the wing only to feel multiple dents and scratches that he could only wonder how many millenniums of fighting it took to obtain them. With every imprint his digits explored, the more he wondered about how each one of them got there, although he knew it would be best not to ask.
Starscream noticed Bee’s digits had stopped and poked his helm up to face him again, asking “Is something wrong?,” in a tone much more timid than usual. Bee quickly shook his helm. “No, everything’s fine! I just never really noticed how stunning your wings are.”
“St-stunning?”
“Yes! They’re just so sleek and shiny, and such a nice shape as well! They’re even-“ He was cut off by Starscream lowering his helm into Bee’s neck. Bee could feel the heated faceplate nuzzling against his neck cables with embarrassment. Bee laughed as the flustered seeker let out unintelligible mutters in response. “What? It’s true!” Starscream didn’t move his helm as it continued to overheat. “Thank you, I guess.”
Bee’s spark fluttered at how cute his partner was. It was a side of him he had never seen before, and he was more than welcome to seeing it shine through. “Do you want me to keep going?”
Starscream nodded and spread his wing further so it was now fully extended. Bee proceeded to gently feel around it’s edges, being sure to take in every detail his small digits felt, like how one cut was seemingly deeper than the others, or that the wing twitched whenever being touched in a soft spot. A certain spot on the inner corner of his wing was the best however, as it consistently calmed Starscream and sent a relaxing chill down his body whenever it was touched just right.
The two continued to lay there that night, Starscream cuddled against Bee’s neck and Bee continuing to massage the former’s delicate wings. It was a much different night than usual, but that was okay. In fact, as crazy as Starscream thought he was, he found himself wanting to spend a night that way again sometime, perhaps even in the near future.